Filly here, weighing in on the fun times that were had at ScoreCon1, Franklin's premiere video game convention! It's an event brought to you by the small-local-business-and-non-douchey equivalent of GameStop, The Score. There were panels, presenters, game setups, merch booths, and tournaments galore.
Bradley Metrock, The Score's owner, gave me the honor of being one of the people to speak at his convention. I was free to pick my own topic, and having been encouraged to talk about a particular specialty of mine (Pokémon), I decided to focus on the evolution of the franchise--including how the series has come to appeal more to adults. I had requests to record this presentation and post it online, but technical limitations prevented that. But not to fear! It may become a blog post someday if you missed out this weekend.
After my presentation at 11:30 a.m., I met up with some friends while we talked Pokémon, and just games in general. We stopped by a vendor by the name of "Happy Japan"... and let me tell you, it was indeed oozing with Japanese happiness. It was complete with a methodically stacked mountain of various flavored Pocky (a simple but delectable treat that everyone should try at least once), carbonated fruit drinks, and a strange assortment of candies. The Japanese apparently have a profound fascination with bacon--I saw Bacon Mints, Bacon Gum, Bacon Chewy Candy (which apparently tastes like Strawberries), Bacon Bacon... another reason to love Japanese culture? I think yes. A sizable island of Pokémon plushies adorned the corner of the little setup. I had my eye on a Shaymin (Land Forme) but I came back later to see someone else had adopted it first. You snooze, you lose, I suppose.
A nice little find that did not escape me, however, was a shiny, beautiful copy of Metroid Prime Trilogy. It laid there in its tin case, in all its glory, calling to me. I picked up the case and began to peruse it. No obvious scratches. Perfect condition manuals inside the box. The disc was the most gorgeous looking disc I've seen on a game that I didn't even realize was Used. Not even the tiniest knick or scratch. They were asking $60 ($50 after my membership discount). For a game that's going $90-100 on eBay New, I felt the need to jump on this deal before the bigger crowds started coming in and this game promptly disappeared from the booth. Impulse buy? Absolutely. Don't look so surprised; I am a woman.
Giant TVs in the distance showed off Kinect games, golden N64 oldies, and 3D Dot Game Heroes, but Sam, Andrew, Blake, and I, along with some other randoms gathered around the Wii for some good-natured, ass-kicking Brawl fun. Meanwhile a kid that had yet to come down from a sugar rush screamed at us "YOU GOT THE FINAL SMASH!! PUSH B!!" while we sighed and shook our heads and kept our mean retorts to ourselves. Bradley talked about his Top 10 RPGs of all time, which were met with a mixed response of cheers and boos--especially when Final Fantasy VII was shown to be his #1 pick. At least Chrono Trigger and Demon's Souls received some unanimous love.
Then it was time for the Pokémon BW Team Tournament. Format was 2-vs.-2. Because of the tendency for teammates to discuss turns amongst themselves, and the fact that many of the competitors were also juggling other tournaments (the Brawl tournament, the retro themed "Video Game Olympics," etc.) it amounted to almost 3 hours of off-and-on battling. The finals were grueling to say the least, and by the time our opponents had wiped the floor with us, and having talked all day about Pokémon, I was frankly all Pokémoned out for the day. I came in second in a locally based tournament for the first time ever. The competitive side of me was mad, but these guys totally deserved it. They knew what they were doing! Taunt, Encore, Tail Wind, and Focus Sash all on one Pokémon is just obnoxious...
Meanwhile I had to cope with the looming fear of the Big Daddy that was patrolling the scene. Once I got to know the guy, though, I realized he's pretty chill.
The con began to wind down so I thanked Bradley for an exciting day, but not before making off with some left-over Happy Japan goodies--which I shared with my friends, of course. Among them were assorted candies, strawberry Pocky, and yes, Bacon Mints. Are "Bacon Mints" bacon-flavored hard candy, or do they taste minty too? I was not brave enough to find out for myself.
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